I’m not embarrassed to say that I started these posts so I could take better stock of what I learn each day. Most days, it seems like I don’t actually learn anything. I wanted to prove myself wrong. Since my birthday is this weekend-- and since I use it as a starting point for setting … Continue reading What Did You Learn This Year (That You Didn’t Know Last Year)?
He was from the south originally but moved to Chicago after college. More than ten years later, he was still there-- the only one from his family who’d ever left his home state. We liked a few of the same things. We’d had a few similar experiences. Chit-chatting was hard, but he was talented and … Continue reading I’m Rooting For Titus Andromedon
I’m neither hopeful nor optimistic, but I don’t want to live a life characterized by anger. It’s why I write, why I move, why I leave. It’s why I value reconciliation, resolution, and reflection. More often than not, this isn’t enough. I shout my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world. I write strongly worded … Continue reading What We Can Do To Fight Against the Separation of Immigrant Families
We celebrate Juneteenth today-- June 19th. On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, Union soldiers landed with the news that the war had ended and enslaved black people were now free. This news came more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation, which became official on January 1, 1863, had had little … Continue reading Why We Celebrate Juneteenth
Most of the students I work with are first or second-generation Americans. They range in age and in levels from second to sixth grade. From time to time, I also work with a college-aged adult who needs help studying for the IELTS. They hail from more than ten different countries and speak more than five … Continue reading Should You Talk To Your Children About How We Treat Immigrants? (On Sessions, 45, ‘I am a man,’ and ‘Ain’t I a woman?’)
We need to have a conversation about race, but the internet might be the worst possible place to have it. It’s flat, it’s impersonal, and—because we are strangers— it doesn’t lend itself well to conversations among friends. Should you talk to your children about race and racism? About suicide? About #MeToo? Do we need consequences? … Continue reading The Point of It All (from outrage to reform)
I don’t want to live a life characterized by anger. It’s why I write, why I move, why I leave. It’s why I value reconciliation, resolution, and reflection. It’s why I don’t watch movies with Samuel L. Jackson, Gerard Butler, or Kristen Stewart. It's why I don't listen to music by Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, … Continue reading Perspectives on Race: From Trinidad to Serbia
What frustrates you the most about racism and/or racists? Irene: The belief that folks are “colorblind” and that that is the epitome of what we should all be. Overt racism doesn’t bother me as much as the microaggressions. Growing up, to what extent did your family educate you about your race and/or other races? Irene: … Continue reading Perspectives on Race #10: Irene in San Jose, “Just Don’t Marry One”
How would you describe yourself? Anonymous: I’d describe myself as a 52-year-old, Puerto Rican woman who was raised half of her years in Gary, Indiana (until 5th grade) then moved to a very white town called Hobart in Indiana where I lived until I was 24-years-old. I identify myself as Pentecostal. Although I identify as … Continue reading Perspectives on Race #9: Puerto-Rican & Pentecostal
When did you first realize that your race mattered? Kat: I really haven’t. Growing up, to what extent did your family educate you about your race and/or other races? Kat: Not much, honestly. It was never considered something worth discussing. It’s always been sort of a given that I am supposed to treat everyone with … Continue reading Perspectives on Race #8: Kat, From Serbia
